Farmers’ practices, motivators and barriers for adoption of treatments of digital dermatitis in dairy farms

What is it about?

Treatments are widely used to control digital dermatitis (DD) in dairy cows but there is a lack of scientific evidence regarding optimum regimes that are acceptable by the farmers. The aim of this study was thus to identify the motivations and barriers to the adoption of DD treatments by dairy farmers. We conducted a semi-structured survey on 65 French dairy farms endemically affected by DD. Treatment practices tested by the farmers since the diagnosis of DD in their herds were first described. The reasons for adopting or abandoning these practices then were investigated based on criteria of effectiveness, ease of application, cost, and degree of perceived danger for user and animal related to its use.

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Why is it important?

The reasons for adopting or abandoning these treatments were investigated based on criteria of perceived effectiveness, labour, time, cost, and toxicity related to its use. For individual treatments, farmers used 24 different products, applied through 3 different routes, for 1 to 21 consecutive days. For collective treatments, farmers used 31 products, applied through 4 different routes from once a year to once a day all year round. Numerous products, especially antibiotics, were misused . The principal criteria for the adoption of a treatment was the perceived effectiveness in healing DD lesions and in limiting recurrence, while the principal barriers to adopting a treatment were the time and labour required for its application, followed by cost. Topical oxytetracycline treatments applied individually were used and adopted the most. They were perceived to be effective in healing DD lesions. However, these treatments were judged to be time consuming when many animals had to be treated. Collective treatments combining formalin and copper sulphate often were applied topically using walk-though footbaths. These treatments often were judged to be insufficiently effective in healing DD lesions.

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